Heart and Sole

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Heart and Sole
            Winter-Spring 1999

Reflexology

When I received my Reflexology Certification from the International Institute of Reflexology, it was time for two (2) celebrations. I spent my 50th birthday at the seminar and I passed the written and practical exam to become an I.I.R. Certified Reflexologist.

Receiving the certification has been the first step of many learning opportunities. I attended a Reflexology Proficiency Seminar (limited class size) and acquired more knowledge and skills for Hand Reflexology. I also learned new relaxation techniques for Foot Reflexology.

I am pleased to see National Publications writing about and recognizing the stress relieving benefits of Reflexology.   The December 1998 issue of Mode speaks of Reflexology. Self - January 1999 “Stress Factor” recognizes Reflexology’s relaxation qualities. In New Woman - January 1999 an article, “The Pressure Principle," step into a better-balanced body with Reflexology explains more about Reflexology. If you have a chance, check out the articles.

Want to have a
Bubbly Personality?

I recently read a newspaper article about stress busters. One low-tech
stress buster, according to Kathy M. Dillion, psychologist of Western New England College is to pop bubble-wrapping. She compared two groups of students: group one popped bubble-wrapping and group two did not. She found group one was more relaxed, calm, and energized afterward.

This article intrigued me. I found some of the wrap I had saved for future packing. After popping a few of the bubbles I tried to decide why popping bubble-wrapping can be a stress buster.

My thoughts are as follows:

Attention: focusing our attention on the action.

Action: engaging in an activity of working toward an accomplishment.

Accomplishment: reaching or performing something done successfully. Even popping one bubble is an accomplishment.

Popping bubble-wrapping is certainly an inexpensive stress buster, I think one most can afford. If we feel stressful, why not give this technique a try? We might be only one pop away from a bubbly personality.

Mark your
Calendar!!

Taking “my time” is a gift we give to ourselves, and it is also a gift we give to others in our life -- family, friends, coworkers, etc. One way to lift our spirits is to take the time to do something we enjoy

Making and taking this time improves our mood. When we are in a good mood, this transfers to the people around us. Have you ever been around someone who is having a bad hair day? If we are not careful, soon we will be having a bad hair day too. Moods can be transferable.

I recently read a magazine article about time and how we use it. One of the quotations was by Lee Silber, author of Time Management for the Creative Person. (From back cover) “This book offers scores of realistic, practical tips to get control of time and see the clock and calendar as allies instead of enemies.” This is a wonderful book, and I think you would find it filled with good ideas.

A point Lee Silber makes throughout the book is the importance of making time to do some of the things we enjoy. To be certain we take this time, mark our calendar, and see it as important as our other appointments.

When we put “My Time” on our calendar, let’s make it a high priority. We will enjoy it and others in our life will appreciate it too.

Time Thoughts

The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.
    ---Sidney Harris

You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must take it.
    ---Charles Burton

The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
    ---James Taylor

Remember

Your presence, is a present to the world. You’re unique and one of a kind. Your life can be, what you want it to be. Take the days, just one at a time.

Count your blessings, not your troubles. You’ll make it through, whatever comes along. Within you, are so many answers. Understand, have courage, be strong.

Don’t put limits on yourself. So many dreams, are waiting to be realized. Decisions are too important, to leave to chance. Reach for your peak, your goal and your prize.

Nothing wastes more energy, than worrying. The longer one carries a problem, the heavier it gets. Don’t take things too seriously. Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

Remember, that a little love goes a long way. Remember, that a lot...goes forever. Remember, that friendship is a wise investment. Life’s treasures are people ...together.

Realize, that it’s never too late. Do ordinary things, in an extraordinary way. Have health, hope and happiness. Take the time, to wish upon a star.

And don’t ever forget....
Not even a day...
How very special you are.

Thanks to Julie Bright for these thoughts.

Stress Can Cause
Listening Impairment

When stressed, one of our first things to go can be our listening skills. Listening impairment usually occurs when we perceive we have too many things to complete in a short period of time.

I recently read an article that made reference to stress and how it can affect our listening ability. I went to the internet and did research and these are a few things I learned.

1. Contrary to what it may seem, listening is active. It requires focused awareness and the use of more than just our intellect. In order to listen more deeply, we can learn to listen with our whole selves: our ears, eyes, heart, mind and intuition.

2. Why is it that we sometimes listen ineffectively? We may be busy formulating our response while the speaker is talking, and as a result miss their communication. We may have judgments and biases that interfere with really hearing their message. Perhaps we are tired or hungry. Environment distractions make it difficult to pay attention. In today’s world, television is probably one of the greatest distractions. The speaker has to speak in a loud voice to compensate for the television. We might feel like we are attempting to listen to two speakers at one time. This in itself is stressful.

3. Another cause of ineffective listening is “time lag." The average person speaks at about 150-250 words a minute, but is capable of listening to between 300-800 words a minute. This means there is some extra time that we can choose to use any number of ways. If we are stressed and have too many irons in the fire, we might be thinking about all the things to be done in a limited time. If we are not listening well, we may choose to daydream or think of unrelated things. One way of using this “time lag” wisely is to stay focused on the conversation and summarize in our minds what the speaker is saying.

4. Effective listening has many benefits. It can save a great deal of time and trouble by helping avoid mistakes and errors. When we listen well, we retain more information, problems are solved more effectively, a sense of trust and honesty is established in relationships. People are encouraged to feel open to share their ideas, thoughts, and suggestions with us. Stress and tension caused by misunderstandings are reduced.

Listening impairment can be an indicator of our stress level. Most times when our listening ability is going down, if we observe, our stress level is going up.

By becoming aware of the quality of our listening skills, we can work to improve them. Let’s slow our life down, take a fun break and watch those listening skills soar. We’ll call it “Listening 101."

Balance the Scale

Words of Wisdom

Words of wisdom or sayings have been passed down from one generation to the next. They have been accepted because most are true. I think as we mature, we see from living life their true value.

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” To me the key words in this saying are all and no. We can balance the scales when and if we realize there is too much of one and not enough of the other.

Since the invention of fax machines, computers, cell phones, etc., it is harder to escape from the work place. In his book The Spirit to Serve: Marriott’s Way,     J. W. “Bill” Marriott, Jr., CEO of Marriott International, Inc. said it took (3) three heart attacks in (3) three months for him to realize the importance of his health. He needed to slow down and make a life style change.   Now when he takes a vacation, he really takes a vacation, and leaves the work at the office. He learned the importance of balancing the scale.

My husband’s philosophy is to spend a portion of each weekend doing something fun.   He says the fun things we do are our memory makers and the spice of life. Don’t you agree?

Words of wisdom or sayings are short and to the point. All we have to do is to decide if the message applies to our life. The beauty of life is that we have a choice and can balance the scale when it becomes important to us and our life.

About Heart and Sole:

For the Winter-Spring edition I have tried to encourage all of us to slow down and live a less stressful life. In my Reflexology practice, one thing I hear from many people is they would enjoy doing certain things (reading, developing a hobby, or just plain relaxing), if they had more time. Sometimes we just have to mark the calendar and make the time.

Recommended Reading:

Time Management for the Creative Person by Lee Silber

Life Strategies by Phillip C. McGraw, Ph.D. (a regular on Oprah)

Something to Smile About

In today’s complex world the things that are truly important in life --- faith, hope, optimism, and joy--- precious gifts that can be ours when we open our hearts and believe.
---Emily Matthews

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